PPB June 2018

Keep in mind that sometimes the quantities ordered are not always what get delivered. Common problems include breakage or damage in transit, a miscount or an incorrectly-sized blank that is printed or embroidered. However, nomatter what happens, or who is at fault, your client expects you to fix the problem. If the quantity is for a specific event, youmay have to get the problem pieces replaced—even if it is only one piece. If the delivery company damaged the goods, the vendor insured them. The vendor will typically want to give you a credit or a reduced invoice rather than re- running a small quantity. If it is the vendor’s fault, they should fix it. If they balk at re-running one or a few pieces, you may have to pay for a less-than-minimum run. Do it. Your reputation is worth more than what it will cost to make the client happy. Then, find another vendor who will work with you. HARRY A. PARRISH President Harry A. Parrish & Associates PPAI 107470 In my 14 years in this business, I’ve not had anyone come back to me weeks or months later. My clients receive shipping notifications via email when their items are on their way, but this column motivated me to be a little more proactive. Now when I receive a shipping notice, it reminds me to send a “thank you” email with a note asking them to please check their order when they receive it and let me know if there are any issues so we can take care of it quickly. Thank you for the good idea. KATHY TIMMS, CAS Branding Consultant Geiger PPAI 105182 I have never put in place a policy that requires my customers to open the order and check everything in a specific time period. I feel that it is an imposition to ask clients to open every single piece, especially on a large order. In eight years in business, there have only been two times that I can remember where there were mistakes found by my customers when they ordered early but did not open the boxes until the event. Both times, I contacted the supplier and negotiated a discount. I replaced product for one customer and issued a credit to the other. In both cases, my customers were satisfied with the solution. MERYL HARWOOD Principal A Creative Idea PPAI 533430 When I send out invoices to my clients, I have a highlighted, boxed-in area toward the bottom that reads: “Please examine all merchandise upon receipt. Defective merchandise, shortages or questions must be submitted in writing with samples within three days after receipt of merchandise.” I have had clients bring faulty merchandise to my attention within a reasonable amount of time (usually two to three weeks) if the product has flaws or stops working. At this point I get samples and contact suppliers who are normally very generous about replacing defective merchandise. I figure if something goes wrong within a month, it is a reasonable amount of time, and suppliers will work with you. DEBBI CHRISSINGER, CAS Owner Taylor MacQuen Advertising PPAI 226629 Though it can be frustrating to hear a complaint from a customer weeks or months after an order was delivered, our firm looks at this as an opportunity to show our customer that we have their back. We always try to turn a complaint around so the customer comes out on top, regardless of when the complaint is received relative to the order. Therefore, we do not ask our customers to inspect orders within a certain period time as we find that can come across as somewhat insulting. KEVIN DOVEL President Proforma PromoGraphix, Inc. PPAI 196835 This can be an issue, but thankfully it is not common. I always make it a practice to share our policy with clients during the discussion phase, on quotes, on emails related to the project and on invoices. In addition, a caveat should be added to the invoice stating, “Any quality issues, counts, sizing issues etc., must be reported within five business days of receipt of the goods. We strongly urge you to review the products once they arrive on sight and report any and all discrepancies immediately.” Doing this and covering yourself at every step will protect you if a conflict ends up in court, dispute resolution or arbitration. CLIFF QUICKSELL, JR., MAS+ Consultant and Acting Director of Marketing iPROMOTEu PPAI 218870 I learned in a law class years ago that the UCC (Uniform Commercial Code) requires that deliveries be accepted within a “reasonable” amount of time in order to | JUNE 2018 | 11 INNOVATE